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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Do You Have The Guts To Stop The Grinding?

Today, I'm sending out a cyber pat-on-the-back to Middleton (RI) High School Principal Gail Abromitis and her staff for having the guts to do the right thing in the face of 400 angry students.

According to the Providence Journal, Abromitis shut down the homecoming dance after students refused to adhere to a 'no grinding' dance policy. For those of you who have not seen a high school dance lately let me just tell you that they can be a torrid affair. Here's a rather mild 'how to grind' video I found on YouTube. Imagine a dance floor full of teenagers doing the same thing (only with more enthusiasm - if I can use that as a euphemism for nastier). Walking through a dance floor trying to separate individuals and groups (yes they do this as a group) from dancing like this always left me feeling a bit dirty and longing for the the 80s kickstep that was in vogue when I was dancing to Tears for Fears and The Alarm.

The school announced a ban on this type of dancing prior to the dance. When the students refused to comply, the principal stopped the music to remind students of the rule. She even enlisted the help of the senior class president to calm things down. Unfortunately, things turned from nasty to dangerous. The Journal reports that a mob mentality developed among the students who began spewing profanities at the principal. At this, Abromitis activated the emergency call system and sent students home.

Sometimes sitting at the big desk means making unpopular decisions. Kudos to Abromitis for doing the right thing.